Nordis Direct Releases Expresso 3.0

Enhancements to usability and performance highlight this latest release, to further streamline the process of managing personalized mail and email communications.

Direct marketing solutions provider Nordis Direct has announced the release of Expresso™ 3.0. Expresso is a web-based platform that simplifies the process of creating and managing personalized mail and email communications. This latest release provides Expresso users with multiple enhancements including new and improved content management, report management and email management features, as well as overall improvements to usability and performance. In addition, effective with release 3.0, Expresso now supports Internet Explorer 8.0 as a browser alternative.

The Expresso platform empowers users to quickly and easily create, change, approve, produce and track personalized letters, statements, invoices, and other communications for distribution via mail or email. Any document element can be dynamically tailored to the individual customer, from copy, photos, and graphics, to legal disclosures, and regional or other product/customer-specific variations. Expresso is ideal for organizations that send out large volumes or many different versions of documents, including reservation confirmation letters, invoices, statements, medical notices, collection letters, member communications, customer service communications, product recalls, legal information or any other critical correspondence. 

“The success of any organization depends on its ability to effectively communicate with their customers and prospects on a regular basis; and quite often, this process presents a major challenge for many companies. With Expresso, our automated platform for managing personalized communications, we have enabled our clients to face this challenge head-on to more effectively manage their communications, “stated Ronnie Selinger, President/CEO of Nordis Direct. “We are pleased to once again provide our users with a new Expresso release, as part of our on-going effort to deliver improved customer-centric communications solutions.”

Specific details of the enhanced features are available to authorized users by logging on to the secure Expresso web portal or by contacting a member of the Expresso Installation Team.

Nordis Direct Provides Ways to Improve Mailing Efficiency

Keeping up with the ever changing rules and regulations of the United States Postal Service can be challenging task. There are standards for domestic and international mail services, requirements for the different mail classes, special and ancillary services and conditions governing their use, standards for price eligibility and mail preparation. The Nordis Direct client services team maintains a current knowledge base of USPS™ information to help you navigate the confusing maze of postal requirements and impending changes, such as postage rate increases. As a standard service to our clients, we will analyze your mailing program and provide recommendations to maximize your mailing efficiency and reduce your overall postage costs.

An additional valuable resource for USPS™ information can be found on the Postal Explorer web site. Here you can find a virtual library of postal information designed for business mailers, in an easy-to-use format. Among the publications available to you on this site in both PDF and HTML formats include: Domestic Mail Manual, Quick Service Guides, Customer Support Rulings, Price List, International Mail Manual, Postal Addressing Standards, and Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility.

To find out more ways to improve your mailing efficiency, please contact Mike Marshall, Business Development Manager at Nordis Direct.

Expresso Feature Highlight: Automated Data Enhancement

FACT: Over 43 million American individuals, families and businesses change their address each year.

PROBLEM: Based on United States Postal Service estimates, approximately 10% of all mail is undeliverable because of incorrect addresses; translating into wasted materials, postage, mailing costs and lost opportunities.

SOLUTION: Expresso’s Automated Address Validation feature provides an interface to NCOALink (National Change of Address) processing; CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System) certification software; and the DPV® (Delivery Point Validation) processing database. The resulting updated files produced by NCOA, CASS, and DPV are instantaneously available once the address file is processed.

Expresso automatically links to these address support services, keeping
• Mailing lists up-to-date and effective, resulting in reduced return mail;
• Less wasted postage and printing costs; and,
• Increased delivery speed and response rates.

NCOALink the leading pro-active Move Update technology helps reduce undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail by correcting input addresses prior to mailing. Benefits to mailers include:
• Reduces undeliverable mail by providing the most current address information for matches made to the NCOALink file
• Prevents re-mailings after address corrections are received because the address correction is applied prior to the mailing
• Reduces mailer costs by reducing the number of undeliverable mail pieces
• Provides the opportunity for faster product/service marketing through accurate mail delivery

In addition to change-of-address information, NCOALink also utilizes Return Codes to provide explanation of match and non-match status. Return Codes which indicate that a match was obtained are accompanied by a new address or undeliverable status. Return Codes which indicate a match was not obtained provide the reason a match could not be made to the NCOALink file. The analysis of Return Codes can help the mailer determine the deliverability of specific address records.

CASS is a certification system from the USPS™ for software that processes mailing lists. CASS software will standardize a mailing list, update outdated addresses, and verify that addresses are valid and complete.
• Address Standardization – With CASS Certified Scrubbing, the addresses in your list are modified so that they meet the format the USPS expects. For example, ‘Avenue’ will be abbreviated to ‘AVE’ and ‘#’ may be replaced by ‘STE’ or ‘APT’.
• Address Correction – If an address is misspelled or missing address information it cannot be approved for a mailing discount. CASS-Certified software will attempt to correct misspellings and add required information such as the ZIP Code, +4 Code, Carrier Route, or Delivery Point Bar Code, that may be missing.
• Address Updating – Every now and then an address will change. CASS Certified Scrubbing will compare the standardized addresses in a list with a list of addresses that have changed. For example, many rural route addresses have been updated to standard city-street style addresses.
• Address Verification – After the addresses have been standardized, corrected, and updated, they are compared with a list of addresses that the USPS considers valid and complete.

DPV is a service available from the USPS™ to help mailers identify inaccurate or incomplete addresses. Essentially, DPV is a database that checks the validity of any known individual house, apartment, PO Box, rural box, mail drop, or commercial address that receives mail. DPV enhances ordinary address validation by confirming the existence of a specific address and the fact that it can be delivered to. DPV goes beyond validating that an address is correctly formatted and within a valid range of addresses in the USPS® data file. DPV can verify that a mailing address – right down to the apartment or suite number – does exist and is a valid destination for a mailing or package.

For more information on USPS business mailing services, go to: United States Postal Service